christmas day - part ii
Christmas Day - Part II
Author: Faechick -
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em.
Feedback: Um. Yes?
Note: In which Hermione and Ginny come out to the family, and Harry gets a surprise.
Ron walked into the room he shared with Harry and the other boys slowly, not quite sure what the best course of action would be. He stood in the middle of the room for several minutes, shifting from foot to foot, while he stared at Harry's back. The dark-headed boy was once again lying in bed, looking out the window, paying absolutely no attention to anything that was going on around him. Ron was very glad the others had decided to go home for the holidays.
"What do you want?" Harry's voice startled him.
Ron looked at his feet, and realized that he was still half-in, and half-out, of his new Quidditch gear. He grimaced; there wasn't really anything he could do about it now, even if it did make it harder for Harry to take him seriously. So, the red-headed young man took a deep breath and said, "He's a jerk."
Harry didn't move.
He tried again, "He's a jerk, and you deserve better."
The other boy shifted a little, but still said nothing.
"If he didn't get you a present, he obviously doesn't think you're worth spending money on, and that's just not right," Ron continued, hitting full-fledged Weasly-Babble Mode. "Even I spent money on 'Mione when we were dating, and I didn't really have any money to spend. Malfoy has tons of cash, and he doesn't get you anything!" He stopped, not having anywhere else to go with the conversation. Seeing as Harry still hadn't made any comments, or even turned to look at him, Ron reached for his very last resort: stupid, but loyal, friend offers. "Want me to curse him something awful? I could... I could make him eat slugs! I have a working wand now, and that was really gross! It'd be great, seeing him coughing them up like that instead of-"
Ron stopped; he stopped because Harry was shaking with laughter, and because he didn't really know what he was saying. He was just glad that Harry was acting like Harry again. So, Ron went and sat across from him, grinning slightly, "So, do you want me to?"
Harry shook his head, his green eyes opening to look at Ron. Harry smiled slightly at his friend, feeling very awkward suddenly. He sat up, mimicing Ron's position, looking curiously at the pieces of Quidditch gear the other boy was wearing. Ron chuckled, blushing slightly, "'Mione and Ginny got them for me."
"They're nice," Harry said quietly.
"Yeah," Ron trailed off. He really didn't know what to do.
"So," Harry said suddenly. "I guess you know."
"Yeah," Ron said again. One syllable responses seemed to be something he was cursed to make.
"And?"
"And what?" Ron cocked his head.
Harry swallowed and looked out the window. He was biting his lower lip and seemed to be trying not to cry. Finally he managed a quiet, "You're still my friend?"
Ron laughed, "Harry, I just found out my sister is gay, and that my ex-girlfriend is dating her. That's a bit more of a shock for me than finding out you're gay, too. I'm sorry if that dissapoints you." Harry looked at him, both relieved and confused at the same time. Ron rolled his eyes, "If you're gay, then it's certainly nothing that I did. I thought-" Ron stopped, blushing again. "I thought maybe in 'Mione's case it was."
Harry broke out into a grin and clapped Ron on the shoulder. Standing up he said rather shakily, "Well, I'm glad. I was really worried."
Ron nodded, "I guess I can see why, but it wasn't something you needed to worry about."
Hedwig shifted in her cage, and Harry walked over to open it for her. He watched her dart out the window before moving to sit back down on his bed. Biting his lip again, he said, "Well, that's not entirely true."
"It isn't?" Ron was rather confused, considering that he was the one who said Harry didn't need to worry about loosing him as a friend.
"Yeah," he took his glasses off and starting playing with them nervously. "I mean, most guys - most straight guys - don't like to hang out with gay men." Ron opted to let Harry continue before saying anything. "It's not like we can keep talking about girls, you know? And you might start to worry about how I'm looking at you in the locker room after games, or when we're changing for bed at night, or when I stay at your house over the summers, or-"
Ron cut him off sharply, "Harry!" The Boy Who Lived stopped and looked at his friend through shaggy bangs. "Do you like me that way?"
***
Ginny was happily snuggled in Hermione's arms in the common room, her face finally free of tear-stains and her heart free of worry for the first time in days. If Ron had taken the news well, that meant that the rest of her family would, too. After all, none of them had ever dated Hermione. She giggled a little at the thought.
"What is it, love?" Hermione murmered, brushing red hair back from a freckled forehead.
The smaller girl pushed herself up onto her forearms and grinned down at the brunette, "Just thinking about what it would be like if you had dated anyone else in my family."
Hermione shuddered, "Please, never ever suggest such a thing again. I just got the most horrible picture of myself and Percy." Ginny laughed, falling back down onto Hermione's chest. "Um, speaking of your family..." The brunette trailed off, expecting a loud, unhappy outburst.
"You want to tell them," came Ginny's unnaturally calm reply. Hermione didn't know how to react to that, so she nodded slightly and braced herself. "Okay. We can tell them later today; Dumbledore gave my mum and dad permission to apparate here with the others, since I wanted to spend this Christmas with you and Ron. They're supposed to get here around dinnertime."
Hermione blinked. She hadn't meant to tell them quite so soon.
***
Harry floundered for something to say, for anything to say. Ron had asked the very question Harry had hoped he'd never think to ask, and he'd actually asked it within the first fifteen minutes of conversation! So, realizing Ron was looking at him, Harry decided on the ever popular, "Uhhhh..."
"It's a simple question, Harry," Ron sounded rather put out. "Do you, or don't you?"
"Well, it's not that simple!" Harry cried. "I mean, when you look at girls, don't you always just check them out? Not necessarily with any intent to date them, but just to, you know, look and see if you'd want them or something?" Ron nodded, and Harry sighed in relief. "Well, it's like that."
Ron blinked, "I'm not sure I'm following you."
Paling, Harry continued, "When I first realized I was gay, I found myself looking at guys like that. Everyone. And yeah, I looked at you, but you're my friend, and I wouldn't want to ruin that with anything else." By the end of the sentence Harry was shaking slightly, once again terrified of loosing his best friend.
Ron looked out the window, mulling this over. After a minute or two he looked at Harry and said, "Okay. That's cool." Harry fell backwards across his bed in relief. "But just so long as you know that I'm not interested in guys like that."
Harry chuckled, "Yeah, Ron, I know."
"Good," said Ron. And just like that, everything was better between them. But Ron wasn't about to let the origional conversation go, "So, about Malfoy..."
***
Ginny tried valiantly to keep herself as far away from Hermione as she could physically stand, positioning herself between her mother and Ron as they all walked down to the main hall for dinner. Ron put a comforting hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently, smiling at her reassuringly. It made her feel better, knowing that she had at least one family member on her side should things turn ugly. And now that the time had actually arrived, she was more nervous than ever about telling everyone about her new relationship.
Now and then she would sneak glances at Hermione, who was talking delightedly with Percy about his work at the Ministry. It made Ginny smile to think about how excited Hermione was about working for the Ministry next year; the brunette had been pursued by every Wizarding company in Europe, and she had accepted the one that would pay her least amount to do the most work. But then, Hermione was a masochist; it was one of the things Ginny found utterly endearing about her.
Ron shoved her gently and she glared at him. He motioned to their mother and she turned wide-eyed to find the woman looking at her strangely. Swallowing Ginny managed to squeak, "What, mum?"
"I asked if you were having fun, spending the holiday here with your brother, Harry and Hermione, dear," Mrs. Weasly repeated.
"Oh," Ginny sighed. "Yes, very much."
"That's good. Oh! Look at all this food," she trailed off as the Weasly family, plus two, converged on the Gryffindor table.
Somehow, Ron managed to work it so that he was sitting beside their mother and Ginny was on his other side, which left Hermione a place next to Ginny. Harry sat down across from Hermione and Percy, Fred, George and Bill all sat down next to him, while Mr. Weasly and Charlie took seats on the other side of Mrs. Weasly. When everyone was finally situated comfortably, they began to eat and exchange gossip. Ginny found her mind wandering during most of the dinner, only bringing herself to answer to questions directed solely at herself.
The butterfies in her stomach were multiplying, and she was almost ready to panic when Hermione's hand sought out hers under the table and squeezed it tightly. She looked over at her girlfriend and smiled gratefully, squeezing back, and completely missed whatever Bill had just asked her. Ron nudged her, "Huh?"
"I asked if everything was all right. You're looking rather pale," Bill said, smiling at her in concern.
She colored a little, "Oh, uh, everything's f-fine."
The Weasly's looked at each other, and then at Ginny. All of them save Ron, who was shaking his head in disgust at his sister's inability to act cool. Ginny swallowed, and Hermione squeezed her hand again before saying, "Actually, Ginny and I have something to say to everyone." They looked on expectantly, and Hermione nudged her girlfriend.
Ginny threw her one last pleading look, which fell on a sympathetic but stern face, before turning back to the others. Taking a deep breath, Ginny let it all out at once, "HermioneandIaredatingnow!"
Everyone looked at her and blinked, and Percy just said, "What?"
"She and Hermione are dating," Ron said slowly, grabbing Ginny's other hand under the table and giving it a sqeeze, too.
"Oh," Percy said. "Since when?"
"Since yesterday," Hermione said quietly, blushing.
"And you're okay with this, Ron?" Mr. Weasly asked, leaning over the table to get a good look at his youngest son.
"Well, yeah, sure. They seem to be good for each other, and, well, Hermione's her own person," Ron said, babbling slightly.
"Well, all right then," Mr. Weasly seemed satisfied with this and went back to eating.
Fred and George looked at each other and grinned devilishly before continuing their own meals, and Percy and Bill just smiled and waited for futher comments. Charlie grunted, nodded, and joined his father in devouring the roasted pork that had been prepared for them all. This left only Ginny's mother, who was staring directly at Hermione.
Ginny tensed, "Uhm, mom?"
"Just a moment, Ginny, dear," her mother said, not unkindly. "Hermione, may I speak to you in private?"
"Uh, yes ma'am," she said, squeezing Ginny's hand as she got up and followed Mrs. Weasly out to the balconey.
Mrs. Weasly looked at her for along moment before saying, "You're not just using her as a substitute for Ronald, are you?" Hermione's eyes widened as she shook her head vehemenantly. She was about to reply verbally when Mrs. Weasly cut her off, "Just make sure you don't hurt her, or you'll have to deal with me. And I can do a great deal more than send Howlers."
Hermoine swallowed and said with all honosty, "I wouldn't hurt her for anything in the world."
"Well, good then," Mrs. Weasly nodded. "Now, I don't want to know what you have or have not done with my daughter, but I do want to know that whatever you are doing, or are planning on doing, is being done, or will be done, safely."
Hermione blushed a very deep shade of red, and began stammering into a conversation she never expected to have.
***
Once Mrs. Weasly returned, with a very red Hermione in tow, the dinner returned to the jovial state it had been before the bomb was dropped. Mrs. Weasly kindly assured Ginny that no one thought any less of her because she liked girls, and the twins even went so far as to make a rude comment about it. The only real difference in how everyone was acting was that now Ginny and Hermione openly held each other's hands and talked quietly, as young lovers are prone to do. As the dinner plates were taken away and the dessert trays appeared, things began to wind down, and the conversation turned to presents and what everyone had recieved.
Harry tried desperately to look small, because he didn't particularly feel like discussing what he had recieved, or rather, what he hadn't recieved. But, alas, all was for naught. Fred (identifiable only by the large green "F" on the front of his white sweater) leaned over and asked him very loudly, "How'd you make out, Harry?"
"Fine," Harry mumbled. "I liked it all very much, especially the-"
He was cut off by a loud clammering above them. All of them craned their necks to look upwards as one of the old windows opened testily, obviously unhappy with being forced to work over the holidays, to let in a beautiful brown and white owl carrying a package. It flew straight for Harry and set the box down in front of him before speeding back outside the way it had come in. The window closed with a loud bang, leaving everyone quite bewildered and curious about what was in the box.
"Well go on, Harry," Ron said excitedly. "Open it then!"
Harry reached for the card on top of the box first, holding it so that he could clearly read the silvery ink on top that read "To Harry." Opening the card, he found himself smiling like an idiot. He threw the card down in front of him and rapidly tore into the box, only to reveal a remarkable set of new dress robes that perfectly matched his eyes. The left breast was monographed with the initials "H.P." in silver thread.
As Harry busily showed off his new gift, Hermione deftly snatched the card and opened it:
To My Beloved Harry,
I am so terribly sorry to have taken
so long to get this to you. Mother insisted
that Bartholomewl (our owl) be given a few
days off for the holiday, and you know how
she can be.
I hope you do not hate me too much
for the delay. I look forward to seeing you
soon.
All My Love,
Draco
PS - I always knew you'd look good in
Slytherin colors. But then, you look
positively ravishing in a Slytherin.
Blushing furiously at the final comment, Hermione stuffed the card into her robes for safe keeping and proceeded to join the others in gushing over Harry's new gift.
***
Later that week, Hermione nuzzled Ginny's hair as they sat on the common room's red velvet couch, their arms wrapped tightly around each other and their legs tangled over the edge. She was still very relieved that neither Ron nor Harry had reacted terribly to the news of their relationship, and that Ginny's family had been nothing but supportive; but it wasn't over just yet. They still had to tell everyone else since today was the day students began coming back from their holiday, and Ginny wasn't going to like hearing that.
As it happened, however, that conversation wasn't necessary. Lavender and Pavarti were, at this moment, very much in the know about the situation (and, therefore, the whole school would soon be as well), because unless they were blind or stupid (and Hermione would have said that the latter was already the case), they couldn't possibly misinterpret the scene before them. Pavarti gasped loudly, which sent Ginny flying from Hermione's arms over to the other end of the couch faster than she could say "lemon drop."
"So that's what's been going on!" Lavender exclaimed. "How could we have missed it?"
Hermione blinked, still rather confused about why her girlfriend wasn't in her arms anymore. She looked over at the two surprisingly unscandalized seventh-year's and raised her eyebrows expectantly, "What are you talking about?"
"You!" Pavarti managed to choke out. "I mean, we've been seeing the signs for months!" Hermione groaned and allowed her head to fall backwards so that she could stare at the ceiling in a vain attempt to drown out the high pitched whine of Pavarti's voice. "We just thought it was meant for you and Ron!"
"What?!" came a rather indignant response from Ginny. "They broke up! And what signs are you talking about?"
Lavender looked smug as Pavarti came over to strike a pose with her, hands on their hips and noses in the air. Lavender tossed her hair over her shoulder as she declaired, "The stars! The stars, dearest Virginia!" It was all very theatrical, which caused Ginny to struggle with her urge to laugh. "They spelled out Hermione's loss of a battle to one with red hair!"
"And how happy they'd both be in the end!" continued Pavarti, as if they were one creature. "All of the signs pointed to a very, very happy ending." She smiled broadly, "I'm so happy for you!"
At this point, she proceeded to throw herself bodily at Hermione and hug the very stunned brunette tightly. Lavender grinned and joined in, laughing, "Everyone deserves a happy ending!"
By now, Ginny was doubled over with laughter at the look on Hermione's face. She was completely flabberghasted, and seemed unsure of whether she should hug the duo back, or push them away quickly and run for her life. When, at last, Lavender and Pavarti let her go, Hermione leaned back and said, "You don't care?"
"About what?" Pavarti asked, completely serious.
"That I'm dating Ginny," Hermione said. And then more slowly, "Another girl."
Lavender looked at Pavarti, and Pavarti looked at Lavender. When they finished whatever silent conversation they were having, they turned their attention back to Hermione and Lavender said, "Where have you been? Pavarti and I had a thing for two years after we first got here."
Ginny stopped laughing long enough to look surprised, but failed to stay sober when, again, she caught site of Hermione's face. The brunette was slack-jawed with shock. Shaking her head, Hermione mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, "Maybe Ron is the only one who hasn't..."
Ginny laughed even harder.
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